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Thursday, June 4, 2009

Buy a print, help a young artist this Friday night

Artist Charlotte Wilson-Hammond auctions off work in support of Talent Trust

Posted by Sue Carter Flinn on Thu, Jun 4, 2009 at 3:54 PM

CWilsonHammondSingle2-1.pdf

This Friday night there's another charity art auction and show at Anna Leonowens Gallery that shouldn't be missed, so I hope you've been saving pennies. Artist Charlotte Wilson-Hammond is auctioning a body of her own work called In/Finite, comprised of about 37 pieces. There's something very peaceful and tranquil about this series—a few that I've seen remind me of that perfect cottage moment, when the sun touches down on a quiet lake.

"For the most part they are mono-prints, the medium being giclee and coloured pencil, and then there are 10 original small watercolours, from which this work arose," says the artist. "They are about space, light and infinity and my inspiration comes from the sky and/or where the horizon meets the sky."

The works are already on display in the gallery—you can check them out now and make a bid—and the auction starts at 7:30pm, hosted by actor/writer Chris Shore. Proceeds from the sale go to the Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/Visual Arts Nova Scotia Award, which is given out annually to an exceptional visual arts student, through the Nova Scotia Talent Trust. Wilson-Hammond initiated the award in 2004 after she received the Portia White prize in 2004; $7,000 of the $25,000$ award goes to a mentorship or whatever the artist chooses, but she decided to create this award.

As an artist, I don't have the income to be able to donate to organizations that I would like to...so this is the way I can choose to benefit a cause I really believe in," she says. "John Greer recently said on CBC (re: the tax issue) that his work is his 'currency'....and I think that puts it very well!"

The Talent Trust is an arms-length non-profit society with an independent board of directors and selection committee. They receive funding from the provincial department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, but like many other non-profits, fundraising is always an issue.

"Since the first scholarship to Portia White, more than 60 years ago, the Trust has awarded over $1.3million," says Wilson-Hammond. "But our awards don't begin to address the high cost of education in the arts. So we really want to be able to increase the amount of our scholarships and awards, and are hoping that this auction will put us on the path!"